Lot# 9066

bearing a single 42 fen postage meter label produced by the “Kunming (2)” franking machine, cancelled by Kunming cds and arriving Hong Kong on Aug 13, 1949. The franking reflects the contemporary local currency usage in Yunnan, converted at an approximate rate of 2.8:1 to the Silver Yuan standard, with 42 fen equating to about 15 fen Silver Yuan, correctly paying the airmail rate from Kunming to Hong Kong. This cover represents a practical example during the transitional period of the Silver Yuan postal system, when regional currencies and the national postal rate structure coexisted, clearly illustrating the unique exchange relationship and postage calculation method in Yunnan. The postage meter label, produced by the “Kunming (2)” franking machine, constitutes an early recorded usage of this device. The route demonstrates direct inland airmail transmission to Hong Kong, reflecting the operational realities of external postal communications from the Southwest postal district in the immediate post-war period. Illustrated in Patrick Choy, China Silver Yuan Stamps (3rd Edition), page 239, Figure 7-11,, according to records, only one such commercially used cover bearing the “Kunming (2)” franking machine is known, making this an important and highly significant item for the study of the 1949 currency transition, regional exchange mechanisms, and the practical application of postage meters in different postal districts.